Rating: 2.5/5
-So many people have enjoyed this book so far! I liked parts of it, but overall it just didn't spark joy for me. I encourage everyone to read the synopsis, other reviews, and read it if you are interested!

CW: Transphobia, homophobia, misgendering, racism, sexism, ableism, alcohol consumption/implied alcoholism

Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an e-ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

Both Sides Now follows Finch Kelly, a trans guy in his senior year of high school. Finch's passions are politics and debate, which he's definitely awesome at. Finch and his debate partner Jonah are taking the competitive debate world by storm as they move up and make it to nationals. However, when it's revealed that the debate topic is transgender rights, Finch isn't so sure that there are two sides to every argument anymore.

This book was pitched as Gilmore Girls meets Red, White, and Royal Blue, but I don't think that's the best comparison.

While we have the debate team (which isn't a huge plot of Gilmore Girls to begin with) and the "I want to go to an Ivy League school" plot line, the similarities end there. Not to mention Rory has rich, connected grandparents who can get her into Ivy League's while our MC does not. The vibe relating to Ivy League school applications/admissions was much more Dan from Gossip Girl.

The Red, White, and Royal Blue comparison also didn't click much with me. We have a lot of political references (of course), but the enemies/rivals to lover romance isn't there (which is basically what RWRB is). The romance is much more friends to lovers, which is a totally different vibe.

This book is definitely about more than debate and politics - our characters are dealing with family drama, boyfriend drama, and more. I liked how these topics were explored, but I just wasn't expecting them to be talked about as much as they were. A large majority of the book was Finch whining about needing to get into Georgetown, or any D.C. school, for undergrad. While his friends and family were telling him that he can do amazing things at an affordable in-state school (bc you know, his parents are literally broke and begging him to consider in-state), Finch insists that he will not be able to change the world politically unless he's in D.C. While this view point is remedied, it wasn't done soon enough for me. I was so annoyed with Finch that the book dragged for me and felt boring + repetitive at times. This was mainly what hindered my enjoyment and made me rate the book a bit lower.

I did really love a lot of the side characters, especially Jonah and Lucy who were honestly some of the most supportive and wonderful friends that Finch could have ever asked for. Jonah carried this whole book for me, tbh. The romance was also quite wholesome, but it just wasn't enough for me to love this book.

A wonderfully authentic and hilarious coming-of-age story about a trans boy just trying to make it through senior year. Framed around the high school's debate team, Finch's story was able to explore so many thoughtful conversations as well as the characters around him.

5/5 stars

*Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Wow - I am feeling so much right now. This was so good and I literally have zero complaints. This book was so good omg.

Both Sides Now follows a trans teenager, Finch, who is a skilled debator. So skilled in fact, that he makes it to nationals; however, he learns the topic for nationals is going to be about access to bathrooms for trans students, and to win the national title, he will have to argue against his own right to use the mens restroom. There are so many topics discussed in this book from transphobia and homophobia to racism and cultural appropriation to financial issues and dealing with fighting parents to so much more. This book was absoluetely incredible. I felt connected to and invested in all of the characters because they felt like real teenagers. Peyton Thomas did an excellent and accurate job acurately protraying how hard, messy, hopeful, and sweet high school can be. I felt so many real emotions while reading this book.

The main couple, Finch, and his debate partner, Jonah are so sweet and remind me so much of Rory and Paris from Gilmore Girls if they had canonically been a couple (which they totally should have been in my opinion). And Finch's relationships with his best friend Lucy was hilarous - the way they texted felt so real and accurate.

Now, I'm cis and white so I can't make any claims as to how "good" or "real" the trans and poc represenation was, but I can say I was really happy with how this book talked about families and their reactions to their children coming out. I definatley cried when Finch and Jonah talked about their families and resonnated with Finch's longing to have parents and a family like Jonah does. I also cried and deeply related to how Finch and his sister deal with their parents aruging. All of the characters in this book had flaws, as did Finch's family as a whole, but what I most appriciated about this book was the way Thomas had each character (and Finch's family) face their flaws and grow.

Overall, I this book has easily made my top three favorite books released this year, and onto my books-I-will-always-recommend shelf (which is a big honor haha).

age rating: 14+
tw: alchoholism, racism (offscreen yellowface), homophobia, transphobia, misgendering, microagressions, talk about HIV, vomiting

I loved this book! Finch was such a realistic trans teen. I love how he was incredibly smart, bus still allowed to make stupid teenager decisions. It made him feel really relatable. I also loved that this book commented on the privilege it takes to transition. Finch has the support, but not the money. I had the opposite as a teen. Its important to recognize the hoops trans people have to go through to exist. I also think it will allow trans teens to feel less alone since most don't get to transition till adulthood. Im a character driven reader, and I adore how this author writes characters they all have there own struggles and voices.
Also, I usually hate covers with photos but I will make an exception for miles mckenna, thank you for using s trans model

Rep: trans boy, gay, POC LI (asian), questioning, mlm, lesbian side
Own Voices
CW: transphobia, racism, misgendering, underage drinking, panic attack, vomiting,

As a debate kid myself, I thouroughly enjoyed this book! This book had me on the edge of my seat, and ALL Jonah and FInch interactions had me dying in a good way. I loved how real the characters were, with real problems and flaws. I saw a lot of myself in some of the characters and it made me love them all the more for it.

4.5 Stars
Content Warnings at end of review

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book.

Finch has one goal--get to Washington DC. This breaks down into a lot of smaller goals, like getting off Georgetown's deferment list and winning the National Debate Tournament. But when the topic for the debate is about the right of transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice, Finch is faced with a choice: give up all his previous goals, or argue against his own rights.

I loved this book from start to finish! I truly wish that it was longer because I loved watching Finch discover himself and truly come into his own throughout this book. Jonah was also an amazing part of this book and I loved him! I loved the parts where they were debating, and seeing the thoughts that Finch had, and how he dealt with everything! It was so cute and happy and I loved it so much!

Pub Date: August 24, 2021

Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Racism
Minor: Emotional abuse

Thank you so much, NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and Dial Books, for the chance to read and review this book!

TW: transphobia, homophobia, misgendering, deadnaming, racism, sexism,

Taking home the gold and winning the National Speech & Debate Tournament and going to his dream college in Washington, DC, is everything Finch has ever wanted. He also wants to become the first trans congressman and Georgetown is the way to achieve is dream. But nothing is simple, since he's starting to have feeling for his debate partner, Jonah, his family money problem and the fact that he hasn't been accepted anywhere yet, or gotten a full scholarship. The worst thing is, though, the topic for Nationals: transgender rights and in order to win he should have to argue against his own humanity. Maybe things like who you are and who you love don't have sides and they are not up for debate.

I absolutely loved Both sides now! It is one of my most anticipated books in 2021 and the author did an outstanding job with this book, with the amazing writing style, the brilliant plot and, above all, with Finch's characterization. The reader gets to know a complex main character, weighed down by his family fighting, his complicated feelings, his struggling to find his own place in the world. Set in high school, between friends and crushes, debate tournaments, hopes and college dreams, Finch is relatable character in his dreams, fears and desires. He's surrounded by intricate characters, like his best friend Lucy and her stubborness and love for him, her support and courage, Jonah, his debate partner, brilliant and funny, their couch Adwoa, supportive and brave, helping, cheering them on and being on their sides. Complex and relatable, with their own dreams, hopes, fears and desires.
Finch has to brave expectations, dreams and failures, hopes and ups and downs, while facing his feelings and desires, his college dream, the tournament who force him to put everything in perspective.

Peyton Thomas wrote an intense story, dealing with delicate and important themes with sensitivity. It was hard to read how Finch had to deal with transphobia and misgendering, how Jonah had to with racism, but I loved how the characters fight back, stand up for the right thing, denouncing the problems and people's attitude. They are not silent and I loved every second of it.
The author wrote about a brilliant, funny and brave main character ready to find his place in the world and finally finding it, even though it's different from what he thought he would be.
I loved the relationships in this book. Finch is surrounded by love and support, by Lucy and Jonah, his sister Ruby, Adwoa. They love, help, support and listen to him and the characters are incredibly relatable and realistic. They fight, they rage against something or someone, they are upset and make mistakes, they forgive and grow and move on. At the same time it's also very realistic, in describing what Finch has to face in his difficult and hard reality, with his family's struggles with money, unemployment, fighting and his unresolved feelings, his doubts and fears about himself, his body, his desires and attraction.

The love story is beautiful and moving, its development so natural and spontaneous and I really enjoyed reading how slowly they start to understand their feeling for one other, talking, being more confident, opening up with each other.

Both sides now is a wonderful, moving and brilliant written book and Finch is a stellar main character, complex and relatable, hoping, dreaming and fighting for his place in the world and to be happy.

A tender debut that explores what it means to have to argue one's own humanity, with a sweet romance and nuanced handling of high schoolers planning for future, college or otherwise.

Trigger warnings: Transphobia, body dysmorphia, racism, yellowface, homophobia, alcoholism, reference to sexual slavery, verbal domestic violence.

Both Sides Now by Peyton Thomas is a YA contemporary about a transgender teen boy in the weeks leading up to his appearance at the National Debate Championships.

Finch Kelly is in his senior year of high school and has his sights set on attending the Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Washington, DC in order to secure his future goal of becoming the nation’s first transgender congressman. However, Finch is yet to receive even an offer, and certainly not the full-ride scholarship he’s going to need in order to attend an out-of-state private university given his family’s precarious financial position.

In order to gain that scholarship, Finch knows he needs to win the final of the National Debate Championships alongside his highly attractive debate partner Jonah, who is, unfortunately, in a picture-perfect relationship with his boyfriend Bailey. Making matters worse, the topic of the finals debate is on transgender rights, meaning Finch will have to argue vehemently against his own personal right to use public bathrooms in order to stand a chance at winning and holding onto his dreams.

As the finals approach, Finch finds more and more obstacles thrown in his way, and he also finds himself growing ever-closer to Jonah. Can he dig deep and find what he needs in order to succeed and make his way to Georgetown, or will his destiny lie along a different path?

Both Sides Now ended up being a five-star read for me. Finch was a great character with whom I connected almost immediately, and I especially loved his relationships with his debate partner Jonah, debate coach Adwoa, and younger sister Ruby. He was also deeply flawed and was often stubborn and unwilling to consider alternatives to his own plans, leading to a fallout with his best friend Lucy and making him feel like a more well-rounded character than many YA protagonists.

While transgender issues are naturally at the heart of this book, I did appreciate that the other characters were allowed to have their own difficulties that Finch also had to navigate. Jonah is Asian-American and trying to figure out how to handle his boyfriend starring in a school musical with a racist plot, Lucy is trying to avoid the “bourgeois scam” of college by forging her own activism career on YouTube, and Finch’s family is dealing with the triple hardships of alcoholism, constant fighting, and the looming threat of financial ruin. These issues never overshadow the trans story that is core to Both Sides Now, instead, they help to show how transgender issues don’t exist in a vacuum and how trans youth are often likely to be dealing with other problems at the same time.

With trans issues making headlines the world over in 2021, now couldn’t be a better time to pick up this book. Both Sides Now is written by a trans author and is probably the closest many cis readers will come to experiencing the debates we have watched rage in newspapers and courtrooms through the eyes of a transgender individual who has to live with their repercussions.

GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes.

Perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and Red, White, and Royal Blue!!

Trigger Warnings: Homophobia, misgendering, HIV talk, character vomiting, racism, and transphobia.

This is a romance with a shit ton of politics in it!! I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS BOOK AND YOU NEED TO GET THIS RIGHT NOW. YOU WON'T REGRET IT. Okay, now back to the review. I love that this take place in D.C. and is about Finch and Jonah. Finch's friends are also very present in this and I loved getting to know Lucy. They all go through their own struggles and his mom gets fired.

pdxkacyreads
Both Sides Now is a debut novel from Peyton Thomas. Finch Kelly wants to be a national debate champ, win a scholarship to Georgetown, and be the first openly transgender member of Congress. He's smart and compassionate and under the pressure of a breaking family and buoyed by good friend (one of whom he's starting to fall for). Aside from present and future pressures, the topic for the national debate championship is about transgender rights. Does Finch argue both sides?
I loved this book.
#bothsidesnow #bsdweread #yalit

*Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

This book was an absolute delight to read! There were so many great elements to it that combined to make one inspiring, unputdownable story. The writing style and characters really pulled me into this book and I adored every page of it. This book discussed some deeply important issues like transphobia, homophobia, and racism in a way that was both touching and intimate while still providing learning moments for readers unfamiliar with these issues. There is really so much you can learn from this book; there were many eye-opening moments that will certainly help educate readers on many various issues. Both Sides Now is also a brilliant coming-of-age story with lots of self-growth and a healthy dose of teenage angst. I love this book so much, and I can't wait for it to be released into the world for everyone to read.

One thing central to this book was debate--Finch is part of the debate team at his school and this story focuses on his nationals debate tournament. For some reason, even though I myself have never been part of a debate team before and don't really even like casual debating with friends or family, debate in books always calls to me. Why? Who knows, really. Perhaps it's because they tend to center around important topics, like this book did with trans rights. But whatever it is, I really enjoy reading about characters participating in debate and speech competitions. The high stakes and and competitiveness ran throughout this book and made it so compelling to read: I needed to know what happened...which resulted in me reading waaaay late into the night.

Finch himself was such a great main character. He had all the stuff you want from a protagonist: solid character arc, good self-growth, some flaws and mistakes made to make him seem nice and realistic, and a charmingly perfect personality to top it all off. He had a rough time throughout the book, what with questioning his sexual orientation, dealing with heated parental conflicts, worrying about not getting into his dream university, and being trans and not feeling very supported by his family. I wanted to give the poor guy a hug so many times! I loved watching him learn and evolve throughout this book. He was truly inspirational, and I felt so proud of him by the end of the book. Seeing him stand up for his beliefs and opinions was really touching and heartwarming. The other characters in this book were wonderful, too. Jonah in particular was honestly just the best. I can't even express how much I'd love to have him as my friend. He was just so sweet and I loved how passionate he was about conserving the environment, with his reusable water bottles and timed showers. I also liked Lucy for the most part (although she did annoy me occasionally), and it was nice to read about a character who's vegan, which I feel like we don't often see in YA literature.

Unfortunately the romance was the one element of this book that I wasn't a fan of. It just felt weird. It seemed like everyone around Finch was screaming, YOU LIKE THIS PERSON!! ADMIT IT!! and when he did finally admit it, it was more because other people thought he should feel that way? Not because he actually discovered it for himself? I don't know, I had just been expecting it to go a different way, and when it didn't it was a bit disorienting for me. It was cute in the end, but I didn't enjoy the romantic discovery/growth process as much as I would've liked.

The end of this book especially hit me so hard. Literally, that last debate scene nearly brought me to tears. It was just so touching and inspiring and the emotions were off the charts. A masterpiece of a scene, there. So good. You'll know it when you read it.

That's a wrap on my review of Both Sides Now by Peyton Thomas! I gave this book Four Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I hope you'll pick it up when it releases on August 24! Personally, I highly recommend binge-reading it in one night. You won't regret it (even if you do wake up bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived the next morning).

Thank you to PenguinTeen for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Wow. I can't find the words to explain how much I loved this book. I went into this book with high expectations and Peyton Thomas did not disappoint. There were so many topics discussed within this novel dealing with racism, identity, how social media affects body positivity, stereotypes against certain groups of people, transgender teens and what transgender people, in general, have to deal with, financial issues, living with parents who constantly argue, divorced parents, cultural appropriation, and so much more.

I absolutely loved all of the characters (well besides the homophobic and racist ones). The community of friendships within this book was so wholesome and the balance of jokes and romance to deeper topics was so well done. Finch's character was so complex and I absolutely adored Jonah. The speeches within the debates brought me to tears and I felt so much for all of the characters. The plot and the pacing were incredible as well.

I seriously cannot put into words how amazing this book was. I would definitely recommend it to everyone, but in specific, those who want to further educate themselves on LGBTQ+ and transgender individuals and what they have to deal with. Again, absolutely adored this book and cannot wait for the release!

A thoughtful, at times funny, story of love, debate, and being a trans teen. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline, which rang true for me both as a professor of YA literature and parent of an LGBTQ daughter.

I really enjoyed Both Sides Now. I think most people will be able to relate to many of Finch’s worries and difficulties, and Finch is a very realistic, relatable character. The story was well written and well paced. Overall a really sweet coming of age story.